1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a user authentication apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for authenticating the identity of a user by recognizing the shape of the user's hand using a camera installed in a mobile phone or a Personal Computer (PC).
2. Description of the Related Art
As conventional biometric recognition schemes using mobile phones, methods using facial information, fingerprint information, or iris information have been chiefly attempted.
However, facial recognition does not yet yield satisfactory results from the standpoint of accuracy, fingerprint recognition requires special hardware, and iris recognition also requires specific hardware therefor (e.g. a proximity camera, infrared lighting, etc.). Thus, those methods have not yet been realized.
Further, conventional biometric recognition methods include methods using a fingerprint, a vein pattern, voice, a hand shape, the lines in the palm, or the like. However, most conventional methods require the assistance of separate hardware (e.g. a fingerprint scanner, a venous information input device, a hand scanner, a microphone, or the like) for acquiring biometric information. In the case of contact-type sensors, there is no method capable of solving a sanitation problem and a noise problem based on the physical contact required to provide biometric information. Furthermore, when biometric information is forged using false biometric information (e.g. rubber, silicon, gelatin, or the like), security is fatally deteriorated.
To solve this problem, there is required a new type of authentication technology for integrally extracting the biometric information about the hand in a non-contact manner using high-quality cameras embedded in mobile/stationary Information Technology (IT) devices and preventing the forgery of authentication information using the extracted biometric information, thereby realizing a high level of security.
As preceding technology related to the present invention, there are disclosed Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2008-0025340 (entitled “Living Body Guidance Control Method for a Biometrics Authentication Device, and Biometrics Authentication Device”), Korean Patent No. 1327939 (entitled “Biometrics System Using Relative Ratio Information of Finger Geometry Features and the Method Thereof”), and Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2006-0057085 (entitled “Mobile phone and method for identifying user”).